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Loreena McKennitt: Nights from the Alhambra

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Quinland Road Records
Released: 1990
Time:
 46:40 / 48:11
Category: Celtic
Producer(s): Loreena McKennitt
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD Double, DVD
Web address: www.quinlanroad.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 1998
Price in €: 21,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s

CD one:
[1] The Mystics Dream (L.McKennitt) - 6:35
[2] She Moved Through the Fair (Traditional) - 5:10
[3] Stolen Child (L.McKennitt/Yeats) - 4:17
[4] The Mummers' Dance (L.McKennitt) - 4:26
[5] Penelope's Song (L.McKennitt) - 4:25
[6] Marco Polo (L.McKennitt) - 4:52
[7] The Bonny Swans (L.Traditional) - 4:45
[8] Dante's Prayer (L.McKennitt) - 5:07
[9] Caravanserai (L.McKennitt) - 9:30

CD two:
[1] Bonny Portmore (Traditional) - 4:08
[2] Santiago (Traditional) - 5:37
[3] Raglan Road (Kavanagh) - 5:40
[4] All Souls Night (L.McKennitt) - 5:29
[5] The Lady of Shalott (L.McKennitt/Tennyson) - 5:02
[6] The Old Ways (L.McKennitt) - 5:13
[7] Never-Ending Road (L.McKennitt) - 6:28
[8] Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance (L.McKennitt) - 5:26
[9] Cymbeline (L.McKennitt/Shakespeare) - 5:00

DVD:
[1] The Mystics Dream (L.McKennitt)
[2] She Moved Through the Fair (Traditional)
[3] Stolen Child [McKennitt/Yeats)
[4] The Mummer's Dance (L.McKennitt)
[5] Penelope's Song (L.McKennitt)
[6] Marco Polo (L.McKennitt)
[7] The Bonny Swans (Traditional)
[8] Dante's Prayer (L.McKennitt)
[9] Caravanserai (L.McKennitt)
[10] Bonny Portmore (Traditional)
[11] Santiago (Traditional)
[12] Raglan Road (Kavanagh)
[13] All Souls Night (L.McKennitt)
[14] The Lady of Shalott (McKennitt/Tennyson)
[15] The Old Ways (L.McKennitt)
[16] Never-Ending Road (L.McKennitt)
[17] Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance (L.McKennitt)
[18] Cymbeline (McKennitt, Shakespeare)

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Loreena McKennitt - Piano, Accordion, Arranger, Harp, Vocals, Producer, Executive Producer

Brian Hughes - Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Bouzouki, Oud, Bandleader, Assistant Producer
Donald Quan - Keyboards, Tabla, Viola
Tal Bergman - Percussion, Drums
Panos Dimitrakopoulos - Kanun
Haig Yazdjian - Oud
Tim Landers - Electric & Acoustic Bass
Nigel Eaton - Hurdygurdy
Caroline LaVelle - Cello
Hugh Marsh - Violin
Padraic Colum -  Arranger
Rick Lazar - Percussion

Susan Hutchinson - Producer
David Rosen - ProducerRick Lazar - Percussion

Hollis King - Art Direction
Demetris Koilalous - Photography
Brian K. Lee - Digital Engineer, Authoring
Bob Ludwig - Mastering
Ollie Nesham - Assistant
Mike Silverston - Assistant
Jeff Wolpert - Engineer, Mixing


 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s



An enchanting musical performance, set beneath the stars in the breathtaking Moorish heart of medieval Spain. Captured in concert in September 2006, singer/composer Loreena McKennitt leads viewers through the multi-textured landscapes of her catalog, from traditional Celtic ballads to literary narratives and highlights from her latest recording, An Ancient Muse. Filmed in rich HDTV, Nights from the Alhambra evokes the otherworldly magic of Granada's palace of dreams, the fiery and inspired performances of a stellar cast of supporting musicians and, of course, the unforgettable voice and songs of Loreena McKennitt herself. The package includes the complete footage on DVD and 2 separate audio CDs that encompass the complete evening.



After nearly a decade off the scene, Loreena McKennitt returned to the performance and recording stage in 2006 and 2007. The Canadian singer picked up exactly where she left off, traveling through the Celtic-Middle Eastern fusions she explored on The Book of Secrets with her latest studio album, An Ancient Muse. Now, with momentum behind her, she's released a DVD document of her performance at Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain. This is the same performance that has been running on PBS station pledge drives for the last year, but with a double CD included. McKennitt's renditions of songs from An Ancient Muse and her earlier albums are impeccable. As she is something of a perfectionist, there isn't much deviation from the original studio versions, but McKennitt is in fine voice and the band gets to rave it up a few times on tracks like "The Bonny Swans," where violinist Hugh Marsh and guitarist Brian Hughes trade increasingly frantic leads. This is an expanded group for McKennitt, with players from England, Greece, and the Middle East playing oud, dumbek, kanoun, hurdy-gurdy, duduk, and other ancient sounds from the British Isles to Turkey. The advantage of this edition of the Alhambra performance over that seen on PBS is that we're spared McKennitt's earnest and precious interstitials, talking about the location and her inspirations while slowly running her hands over Celtic carvings. But if you want it, that version of the performance is also on the DVD, as the commentary track. The CDs wisely drop even the between-song patter, which is fine, but not something to sit through on repeated listenings. Although the performance is beautifully, if conventionally filmed, and it's great to see this virtuoso band playing in communion, it's ultimately McKennitt's songs themselves that brim with visual imagery as she creates her ancient evocations as effectively on the concert stage as she does in the studio.

John Diliberto -  Amazon.com



Nights from the Alhambra chronicles ethereal Canadian Celtic/folk/worldbeat artist Loreena McKennitt's 2006 tour in support of her Ancient Muse album. Recorded in September in the Palace of Charles V at the Alhambra, a southern Spanish fortress on the eastern border of the city of Granada built by the Moors, McKennitt employed a 12-piece band that included hurdy-gurdy, oud, uilleann pipes, kanoun, strings, and multiple percussion players. Though there is an emphasis on works from her most recent release, the singer/composer/harpist covers a wide breadth of material from 1985's Elemental ("She Moved Through the Fair") to 1991's acclaimed Visit ("All Souls Night," "Lady of Shalott") and beyond. As with all of her studio recordings, the sound quality is exquisite, making this -- her third live collection -- the best yet.

James Christopher Monger - All Music Guide

 
 

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